Profile: Abna al-Muhandis

Name: Tajamo Abna al-Muhandis (the Sons of Muhandis Gathering)

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Type of movement: The group is a social organization linked to the Iraqi government and controlled by members of armed groups that are U.S.-designated terrorist movements, for instance Kataib Hezbollah (KH) and Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH). The group focuses on social operations, centered on Iraqi universities, with a focus on identifying skilled Iraqis for further service to Iran’s security and intelligence services. Abna al-Muhandis targets the U.S. and domestic Iraqi social and religious moderates, supporting armed groups who have been sanctioned for human rights abuses against Iraqi youth. 

Role: Abna al-Muhandis’ official mission includes the following goals:

• Promote and propagate the ideology of Iran-led version of Shia political Islam via cultural, artistic, social and educational activities in Iraqi universities.
• Infiltrate Iraqi universities to train and recruit the future elites in the Iraqi society, to create a pipeline of new members of the self-styled muqawama (resistance).  
• “In the Abna al-Muhandis team, we aim to avenge the blood of the leaders, by representing the principles and values of the valiant martyr of the nation, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis”.
• Activities undertaken by Abna al-Muhandis include holding protests and rallies against adversary groups, oath-taking ceremonies, commemorating the deaths of terrorist leaders, seminars, scholarships for Iraqi students to study in Iran, and technical competitions (one of which was won by a drone jamming invention).

History and objectives:

• The seeds of Abna al-Muhandis were private security guards inserted into Iraqi universities in 2010-2014 that utilized members of KH, AAH, and other Iran-backed militias, enabled by pro-muqawama Minister of Higher Education Ali al-Adeeb.
• From 2014 onwards, the muqawama presence in universities came under the umbrella of the PMF General Directorate of Social Relations and Services (Al-Mudiria al-Amma lil Elaqat wal Khadamat al-Ejtimaeia fi al-Hashd al-Shaabi). Key players in this effort were young muqawama propagandists and recruiters associated very closely with (then) PMF chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and his predominately KH leadership cadre.
• As important young PMF loyalists completed service in the Hashd, Muhandis would often ensure they received preferential placement in university courses as a kind of muqawama “GI Bill”, in a sense creating a new generation leader fellowships.
• When Muhandis was killed in January 2020, the Abna al-Muhandis was formalized as a tribute to him, and as a check on the student demonstrators after they brought down the muqawama-controlled prime ministership on Adel Abdal-Mahdi in the 2019 Tishreen uprisings.
• The two key founders of Abna al-Muhandis were:
  • Moqtada Zaid al-Maqdisi, the most prominent aid to Muhandis in his Information Group.
  • Hashim al-Haideri, a KH ideologue and founder of the Ahd Allah social movement on a few social and propaganda programs spreading the idea of wilayat al-Faqih (guardianship of the Islamic jurist) in Iraq.
  • Hashim al-Haideri and Moqtada al-Maqdisi both have direct access to organizations funded and run by the Iranian Supreme Leader’s office.
• Another founding members of Abna al-Muhandis is Moheb Shrad, a prominent KH media specialist. Shrad who started as a field reporter working for a few militia-linked TV channels, ended up working for KH’s al-Etejah TV and from there he rose to become one of the most prominent KH media personnel, with direct access to KH leadership.
• Other prominent members of Abna al-Muhandis are:
  • Moammal Zaid al-Maqdisi: a brother of Moqtada al-Maqdisi, studied pharmacy at al-Rafidain University College, a private university in Baghdad. 
  • Raafat al-Yasir: a graduate of the University of Technology in Baghdad, he is an AAH-linked propagandist working in the PMF’s media apparatus. Al-Yasir is increasingly close to Muhannad al-Eqabi, the head of PMF’s Media Directorate (Mudiryat al-Ealam fi al-Hashd al-Shaabi). Al-Eqabi himself was very close to Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who picked him for the role of PMF’s chief propagandist.
  • Mohammad Muhsen Ahmad, a medical doctor who helped establish Abna al-Muhandis when he was a medical student at Baghdad’s Ibn Sina University for Medical and Pharmaceutical Science. He is currently working as a physician in the Iraqi Ministry of Defence.
  • Murtadha Musa al-Mayali, a petroleum engineer who was graduated from University of Technology in Baghdad. He is currently working at Najaf refinery.
  • Anas Fadhil al-Chali, a prolific writer and poet, providing various muqawama media and propaganda organizations with poetry.
• An important focus for Abna al-Muhandis was the recruitment of technical students working on issues relevant to drone and counter-drone warfare, including composite materials, 3D printing, electronics, frequency management, and computer numerical control in precision engineering. Abna al-Muhandis and various Iraqi university departments became a feeder pool for terrorist drone units in Iraq and Syria.
• Like the rest of the muqawama, Abna al-Muhandis appears to have gone through a period of internal discord in 2021-2022. On January 6, 2022, the head of the Abna al-Muhandis bodyguard unit was shot dead. (He was a KH member, enrolled in PMF brigade 45 and KH’s intelligence arm, Unit 101.) Moqtada al-Maqdisi evoked jealous reactions among other muqawama media figures in this period, including within the PMF media directorate.
• The October 2022 elevation of a muqawama propagandist, AAH’s Naim al-Abboudi, as Iraq’s Minister of Higher Education, smoothed the way for Abna al-Muhandis to operate more effectively within the university system, without any opposition from government.

Chain of command:

• Kataib Hezbollah. Since its inception, Abna al-Muhandis has been shaped by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis loyalists, most of whom came from KH backgrounds, and has been supported by KH-linked leaders and organizations (for instance Hashim al-Haideri and Ahd Allah). 
• PMF. Abna al-Muhandis is organizationally linked to the PMF and is thus a paid organ of the Iraqi government. The PMF General Directorate of Social Relations and Services is under the overall control of U.S.-designated human rights abuser Falah al-Fayyadh and U.S.-designated terrorist Abu Fadak. The directorate is led by Ali Shaker Qassem al-Khaffaf. Al-Khaffaf was also a close associate of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
• Ali al-Kindi is the head of Abna al-Muhandis.
• Founders. Abna al-Muhandis is likely to be influenced on an ongoing basis by its founders, Moqtada al-Maqdisi; Hashim al-Haideri, KH member and founder of the Ahd Allah social movement; and Moheb Shrad, a KH media specialist.

Affiliate elements:

• Minister of Higher Education Naim al-Abboudi. A member of U.S.-designated terrorist group AAH, Abboudi facilitates ongoing Abna al-Muhandis activities within Iraqi universities.
• Professors and departments. Numerous professors and faculty members have been identified with Abna al-Muhandis, especially within the civil engineering department of the University of Technology, Baghdad, and within Basra University.
• Muqawama media channels. Abna al-Muhandis receives strong and favorable coverage from Lebanese Hezbollah’s Mayadeen TV; KH’s Al-Etejah TV; AAH’s Al-Ahd TV; among many others.
• Ahd Allah. The Ahd Allah social movement facilitates and supports the work of Abna al-Muhandis.
• Rab Allah. Abna al-Muhandis has supported mob violence undertaken by KH-controlled militia Rab Allah, for instance against moderate television stations (MBC, Al-Arabiya, and Djila).

Subordinate elements:

• Facebook. Abna al-Muhandis has a minor Facebook account. The group also maintains a small presence on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and has a webpage.